If you can’t get to Paris right now but you’d like to be in Paris right now, why not read some Paris books, set in Paris?
The city of love and the city of lights, Paris is one of my favourite European cities. I’ve been able to visit twice now and could envision myself living there at some point in the future.
But until that day does come, I need to get my Parisian fix somehow. And that comes in the form of Paris books, set in Paris.
Below is a list of 15 Paris books that should transport you through the pages. Let me know if you have any others you can recommend too!
I also have a blog post about books set in New York, but let me know if there’s somewhere else you’d like me to make a list of. But for now, here are a list of Paris books!
15 Paris Books Set in Paris
1. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Set in the contemporary Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality.
James Baldwin’s brilliant narrative delves into the mystery of loving with a sharp, probing imagination, and he creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the heart.
2. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway’s memories of his life as an unknown writer living in Paris in the twenties are deeply personal, warmly affectionate, and full of wit. Looking back not only at his own much younger self, but also at the other writers who shared Paris with him – James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald – he recalls the time when, poor, happy, and writing in cafes, he discovered his vocation.
Written during the last years of Hemingway’s life, his memoir is a lively and powerful reflection of his genius that scintillates with the romance of the city.
3. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Monsieur Perdu, a self-proclaimed literary apothecary, operates a floating bookstore on the Seine where he prescribes novels to mend the hardships of life. Despite his talent for healing others through literature, he remains haunted by his own heartbreak, unable to open a letter left by his lost love.
Upon finally reading it, he embarks on a journey to the south of France with a bestselling author and a lovelorn chef, aiming to find closure and discover the conclusion of his own story.
4. Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She’s never even been on a romantic weekend away–to anywhere–before. Traveling abroad isn’t really her thing. But when Nell’s boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to prove everyone–including herself–wrong.
Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?
5. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
This extraordinary historical French gothic novel, set in Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, is the haunting drama of Quasimodo, the disabled bell-ringer of Notre-Dame, as he struggles to stand up to his ableist guardian Claude Frollo, who also wants to commit genocide against Paris’ Romani population.
6. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
In 1920s Chicago, Hadley Richardson, a reserved twenty-eight-year-old, finds love and adventure when she meets the charismatic Ernest Hemingway. Their whirlwind romance leads them to Paris, where they immerse themselves in the vibrant world of the ‘Lost Generation,’ alongside luminaries like Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Despite their deep love, they struggle with the hedonistic lifestyle of Jazz Age Paris, where fidelity and traditional values are challenged. As Ernest seeks literary success, Hadley grapples with her evolving roles as wife and muse.
7. Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd
Inspired by the haunting, passionate story of the city of lights, this epic novel weaves a gripping tale of four families across the centuries.
From the lies that spawn the noble line of de Cygne to the revolutionary Le Sourds who seek their destruction; from the Blanchards whose bourgeois respectability offers scant protection against scandal to the hard-working Gascons and their soaring ambitions.
8. The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Ultimately he can’t resist the challenge and begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces—behind a painting, within a column, or inside a drainpipe—detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality.
9. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
In 1995, Adam Gopnik, his wife, and their infant son left the familiar comforts and hassles of New York City for the urbane glamour of the City of Light.
Gopnik is a longtime New Yorker writer, and the magazine has sent its writers to Paris for decades–but his was above all a personal pilgrimage to the place that had for so long been the undisputed capital of everything cultural and beautiful.
10. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
In the early 1940s, Irène Némirovsky, a successful Ukrainian-born writer living in Paris, began work on ‘Suite Française,’ intending it to be a five-part novel. However, as a Jew, she faced persecution and was ultimately deported to Auschwitz in 1942, where she died at thirty-nine. Prior to her arrest, Némirovsky had completed two parts of the novel, which she had hidden in a suitcase. Sixty-four years later, her daughters would bring these manuscripts to light, allowing us to finally experience Némirovsky’s luminous portrayal of human drama, shaped by her own tragic fate.
11. Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James
In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris.
Paris in Love: A Memoir chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
12. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
In the heart of Paris, within an elegant apartment building, Renée, the seemingly typical concierge, observes the superficial lives of her bourgeois employers while secretly indulging in her passion for art, philosophy, and Japanese culture. Unbeknownst to them, she’s a cultured autodidact with keen insights into their lives. Meanwhile, Paloma, a twelve-year-old prodigy and daughter of a mundane politician, plans to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. Both Renée and Paloma conceal their true selves until the arrival of Ozu, a perceptive Japanese man, who sees through their facades and connects them in a celebration of the unnoticed triumphs of ordinary individuals.
13. Paris Was Ours: Thirty-Two Writers Reflect on the City of Light by Penelope Rowlands
In this collection of personal essays, writers from diverse backgrounds share how living in Paris profoundly impacted their lives. Through thirty-two narratives, they explore the city’s allure and complexity. Reflecting on love, creativity, and the unique Parisian way of life. From renowned authors to lesser-known voices, each essay contributes to a rich portrait of Paris as “the world capital of memory and desire,” showcasing its universal appeal and individual significance to those it touches.
14. The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs by Elaine Sciolino
Elaine Sciolino’s captivating account of her favourite Parisian street, the rue des Martyrs, is a vibrant homage to the city’s rich history and the joys of Parisian living. From the beheading of France’s patron saint to iconic artistic endeavours. Sciolino unveils the street’s cultural tapestry and its eclectic residents, from greengrocers to transvestite cabaret owners. Through her sharp observations, she brings Paris to life. Celebrating its unique charm and the enduring allure of street life in the face of globalization.
15. Paris My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light by Amy Thomas
Part love letter to New York, part love letter to Paris, and total devotion to all things sweet. Paris, My Sweet is a personal and moveable feast that’s a treasure map for anyone who loves fresh cupcakes and fine chocolate, New York and Paris, and life in general.
It’s about how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a sliver of cheesecake. And about how the life you’re meant to live doesn’t always taste like the one you envisioned.
And there you have it. A list of Paris books to get you started if you want to be transported to France.
And if Paris books aren’t your thing, what about New York? You can check out my list of books set in New York that will transport you to the Big Apple.
If you know of any more Paris books that should make this list, do let me know in the comments!
Can I add ‘We’ll Always Have Paris’ by Emma Beddington? Apart from being fun, it tells how a would-be writer turned a blog into a book, and a book into a regular newspaper column, so it’s a good model for you to follow (see, I believe in you).
This definitely sounds like my dream! Thanks for the recommendation Richard, I’ll have to seek it out.